YOUNG tomato seedlings ready for planting.
WHAT a wonderful time in the garden with all the new growth on all the plants and something different starting to flower every day, this is my favourite time of year. With all the new growth, it is really important for the health of your garden to give your plants an extra boost as they are putting all their energy and food sources into growing so now is the perfect time to feed your garden. There are all sorts of ways you can do this, from foliar feeding with products that you put onto your hose attachment, pushing water through the concentrated fertiliser and waters it down to the perfect mix to spray on your plants. I like to throw sheep pellets all through my garden and a handful mixed with a general fertiliser at the bottom of my plants. If you pop into Mitre 10 they have loads of different fertilisers for your garden. Don’t forget to feed your fruit trees also as they are bursting into blossom (or already have) so they’ll love you for an extra boost at the moment. In your veggie garden, the soil is warming up so now is the perfect time to plant your veggies. I like to add a couple of sheep pellets to the bottom of each plant as I plant it. With the warmer weather brings pests and the most annoying one in our veggie gardens is the white butterfly. This year I am going to try something which is making white butterfly decoys that move in the wind. Apparently, a cluster of these decoys trick the butterflies to move on before laying their eggs. White butterflies are meant to be highly territorial, and females won’t choose to lay eggs where there’s already competition for food. Below is a link for how to make these from white ice cream containers so a win win hopefully keeping them at bay from your veggie garden and upcycling some plastic. theseedcollection.com.au/blog/How-to-Make-Homemade-Cabbage-Moth-Decoys
